by Kalen Vaughan Johnson

James MacLaren, a fugitive from Scotland, embarks on a new life in California, escaping his secrets but not his hatred for the upper class. He is a man always on his guard, leery of the entitled and wary of his own temper. While raising a beautiful, headstrong daughter, and denying his love for a woman he cannot have, he champions miners in their fight against the Coleridge Sierra speculators seeking to maneuver a mining industry monopoly.

San Francisco Judge Dandridge sees himself as a man of vision. But when retributions fail in his courtroom, reparations are administered in the back rooms of vigilante justice. His venal and mercenary machinations tie him to the powerful Sam Brannan, the Chinese Tong and a shadowy control of the governorship of California.

Robbing the Pillars is a story of the working class fighting for legitimacy against a legacy of gold and all it seduces – a tale of hidden pasts, love and betrayal, and the fulfillment of dreams against incredible odds.

Robbing the Pillars is the first book in The Empire Barons series.

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Quotes From Characters in Robbing the Pillars

“Ye got greedy. We’ve worked together ta avoid this very thing. How many? Put at risk today? Because ye were foolish? Robbing the pillars, yet again. It’s bad enough ye’ve torn up the entire hillside above the city. Trying for the last little bits, and when ye cu na reach far enough down, ye tried ta cheat yer way out, grab the last few dollars as ye backed out. The most dangerous tactic there is . . .”

~ James MacLaren ~

“After all gentlemen, what is it we are exploiting? Only greed. It seems logical for theirs to be channeled appropriately to feed ours.”

~ Dutton Dandridge ~

“There is no advantage to beauty. It attracts the wrong sorts of men with the worst motives and the begrudging bitterness of other women.”

~ Althea Albright ~

“With our ‘Legislature of a thousand drinks’, California is ridiculed. Is it any wonder we attract the least serviceable of public servants? Miscreants attracting thugs just like themselves, like fleas on a dog. Honestly, I’m a judicial representative in a government that shames me.”

~ Judge Dandridge ~

Editorial Reviews for Robbing the Pillars

“A sweeping look at personal idealism and autonomy pitted against the forces of greed and manipulation, Robbing the Pillars is an emotive family saga solidly rooted in the American dream.”

Chanticleer Reviews (Rating: 5 of 5)

“Johnson not only gives us a fascinating portrait of a man determined to carve out a life for himself despite every obstacle, but she also presents a richly detailed vision of part of America’s past. The characters aren’t merely historical figures who move stiffly across the pages; they are living, breathing people filled with joy, hope, and despair . . . For me, the Gold Rush was pretty abstract until I read Robbing the Pillars.”

San Francisco Book Review (Star Rating: 5/5)

“Author Kalen Vaughan Johnson has created a large canvas; her knowledge of the region – its history, the mix of cultures . . . highlights her obvious talent for creating richly detailed historical fiction . . . Johnson depicts with equal verve and realism the lives of the rich, the wannabes, and those at the bottom struggling upward.”